


black cat

by flowerlix



Category: Pentagon (Korea Band)
Genre: Necromancy, Plant Powers, Restoration, Shapeshifter, Strength, Witch - Freeform, empathetic, illusion, knock-off doctor strange + scarlet witch, spider-man-ish, superpower au, wooseoks a furry
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-29
Updated: 2019-10-20
Packaged: 2020-03-26 14:14:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,447
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19007455
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flowerlix/pseuds/flowerlix
Summary: with centuries shinwon has been around, nothing has impacted him more than the shadow of a  black cat he brought home. he never thought an innocent thing like him could lead to a much taller, much more human-thing.i’m writing this with my friend @shinwon_ (on twitter) hi prinn





	1. 1

necromancy wasn't easy. shinwon knew this naturally, but after all these years he's learned to drown it all out. he usually had to keep himself occupied, get out of the house for a bit. (and smuggle a cat or two back into his apartment.)

sometimes the constant low moan and cry of the common lost soul would purely _aggravate_ the necromancer, and he wasn't going to let out his anger on something that could haunt him for the rest of his life, so he found alternatives. 

he would take walks at night, keeping his ears open for any light meows. he took his normal route, but came across a building with cheering emitting from it. he took a peek in through the doorway and saw a huge crowd around two people fighting.

street fights were _not_ allowed where shinwon came from. he was basically taught that if you fought someone, you were killed. it was illegal in a small community, everyone knew what was happening everywhere. shinwon decides that staying out of trouble would be best. he watches from afar at the underground street fights. 

yuto can feel the blood dripping from his split lip, the taste coating his tongue. he wipes his face with a pristine white towel, staining it red. he throws it back to his partner and goes to finish his fight with johnny. he was supposed to be the best around, but yuto was beating him by a long shot. it doesn't take a genius to know who's going home the winner.

shinwon looked at all the people cheering the two on, wondering why in _hell_ would people ever want to encourage this? he just couldn’t wrap the idea of this being fun around his head.

johnny, the known heavy hitting champion, was swaying dangerously on his feet, unable to keep himself up. yuto grins, showing off his bloody teeth, earning off cheers and sneers.

the air in the place is musty, reeks of alcohol and blood from probably _years_ stains the floors. a time like this, moment of stark clarity when he isn’t focused on men getting their ass kicked, shinwon wishes he could write poetry to describe the ambience and capture its artistry. (its gross ass nature more like) shinwon questions how healthy this place must be, watching a rat scatter by. he watches the crowds of men, probably betting all their money out on the men, and scoffs. _low lifes_. he turns his head back.

his eyes widen.

yuto's once opponent lay on the floor, beginning to pool in his own blood. the crowd roars. through the crowd, shinwon hears loud screaming from a bleach blond.

“yuto, stop! stop it, you're going to kill him!” 

his screams were heart-wrenching, almost like yuto was beating _him_ up. yuto freezes, standing over him with dull, glazed over eyes. _he did that?_

shinwon heard quick footsteps behind him and before he could turn around, a person rushed past him, almost in a rush. _definitely in a rush_.

“yuto, you seriously have to wait until i get here before you almost fucking kill someone!” hongseok yelled as he covered johnny’s wounds with his hand, quickly healing the harsh ring cuts and yellowing bruises that once formed. yuto began to feel a pit in his stomach turn into a deep, black hole. 

“i— i didn’t mean to…” the crowd was getting smaller and smaller until just shinwon was left.  
all he could do was stand there, watching the boy have a meltdown. or what he thinks was a meltdown. 

the crowd made its way towards shinwon, and he quickly slipped into the building and to the side. very quickly, shinwon was the only one left. 

the champion was in a seat next to the ring with his head in his hands, and his opponent laying on the ground with his friend tightly hugging him while the healer was still at work.

“mark, could you like… move?” hongseok hushly demanded, finding it rather hard to help the taller fellow when someone was all on him. mark nodded timidly, waiting for the healer to hold him so he doesn't collapse. 

mark looks up at yuto and grimaces, looking off anywhere but _him_. a silent rule in street fighting here is _no one leaves dead_. but even shinwon can tell by the less than burly souls of men once known whirring around that some didn't listen. they understood the aggravation that he had nonetheless, he almost killed his best friend.

mark was no man to cry, but seeing hongseok struggle to heal johnny on his own without surging his power, he found it hard not to let the salty tears ride down his face, drawing out in a quick, sad line.

while trying to avoid eye contact from one, he finds it with another. “he was about half dead by the end of that, huh?” shinwon half-joked, leaning over the ropes with his hands clasped.

he realized how terrible of a comedian he'd make when he saw more fat tears roll down mark's cheeks. _note to self, stick to necromancy_.

“i mean… y’know, he’s not _actually_ almost dead. just a few bad cuts and… whatever… but he’s like… completely fine.” 

“are you sure? cause’ i'm finding quite hard to heal him.” hongseok said, being obvious he was stressed.

“do you need help… or something? like that?” shinwon asked, and stood up.

“if you know how to heal people? sure.”

he wanted to say _‘well, i do know how to bring people back from the dead.’_ but quickly decided against it.

“i... know a thing or two about this stuff.” hongseok looked unconvinced with the sentence that just came out of the guy’s mouth. “i'm not here to fuck around, dude. if you would like to share something, do it before i lose feeling in my fingers.” the healer hurried, biting for an even pulse, his attitude turning sour.

shinwon got up and hopped over the ring as gracefully as he could, coming to crouch by the two men. 

in this moment, shinwon realized just how dumb it'd be to hold at johnny's chest just to say _’oh, he's dying! that's too bad!’_. he began to sweat as he looked at the unconcious guy.

a thought grew in his mind just as hongseok was giving him the stink eye. he used to have to find the source of the problem that killed his spirits to give them closure. he looked at hongseok with a nod before pressing onto the man's upper torso. 

his mind fled in with much too many thoughts, making him realize why he never did this with living people. _‘at least he's alive.’_ he huffed, trying to focus in on his feeling. “his… ribs… spine?” _holy fuck was this guy the hulk?_ shinwon thought, _how can you break someone's spine?_

as if hongseok and shinwon shared the same thought, he looked up with a scrunched face, “huh? are you trying to tell me yuto broke johnny's _spine_?” he broke out, a sudden bright jolt of power coursed through the said man, as if shinwon forced it out of him with the observation. 

he felt for his feelings again, the aching of his spine slowly mending together again. “hey, hey! keep doing- whatever that was!” shinwon encouraged. hongseok scoffed, “this shit doesn't come naturally!” he complained.

“aye, if you were a _real_ healer you'd know how to do it!” shinwon heard mark yell behind him. his eyes widened.

a brighter jolt scattered johnny's chest, “oh yeah? why don't you try busting your ass everyday for some dumb, fool fighters! it does a lot to a person!” hongseok spat. shinwon smirked, letting go of johnny, “i don't think we need to do that,” he gestures very slightly to the now grumbling figure below them.

“johnny!” yelped mark, who pushed the both of them away from him, as if they didn't just save the man. johnny didn't do much to reply, making hongseok push at mark. “hey, healer training starts now, bud. you take him home.” he mused, getting up off his knees, shinwon following suit. 

“hey, yuto. seriously, don't beat yourself up over it.” hongseok said, striding up to him. “you won, by a long shot! and he's okay, right? it's okay to go home, dude.” he reassured, patting him on the shoulder. yuto looked up out of his trance, nodding absentmindedly, “yeah… yeah.”

hongseok walked away from the ring and shinwon made his way over to johnny. “is he like… moving?” no response. only the heavy sobs coming from mark. it made shinwon a little sad.

“i’m gonna skadaddle, um, when does this usually go on…?” dead silence. “alright, uh… bye?”


	2. 2

shinwon exits the underground ring hastily, watching for out of corner watchers. _so this is what i do with my wednesday afternoon._ he huffs, straightening his shirt. 

he begins to walk out of the alleyway he came from, veering into the crowded sidewalks he's always known, the empty ones everyone else knew. 

and shinwon knows what it feels like to be followed. but when he turned around, he didn't expect a little shadow to be following him. 

a black cat, right on his tail, as if he had catnip in his pocket. shinwon cooed, crouching down in front of the furry creature. _bbreow!_ it meowed. he put out his hand for it to sniff, immediately getting a headbutt from the feline. 

shinwon smiled, “you must have someone waiting for you at home.” he noticed the thin collar around its neck. he flicked the bell attached to it, receiving no jingle. he hummed, petting the cat once, rubbing it's ears.

he gets up, his knees cracking. shinwon begins to look for his next destination, the corner store. what he doesn't expect is for his shadow to keep at his pace, following his every move from curb to corner. he sighs, trying to ignore it like he would with any other ghost on the streets. it doesn't work.

when he meets the shop, entering slowly, he takes note on how patiently the cat sits outside on the walkway, waiting for his return. he guiltily walks through the small aisles for snacks of the night. he also finds himself searching for cat food. he grumbles at its high price, swapping the bag out for a packet of pepperonis, nodding.

he drops his food on the counter, receiving a smile from the cashier. “tough day?” the boy behind the counter asked. shinwon’s eyes flit to his name tag, _kino_. shinwon sighed, “you have _no_ idea…” he exclaimed, receiving an ‘are you sure about that?’ look. 

“you don’t even wanna know.” shinwon paid and said the usual ‘have a nice day!’ he smiled upon seeing the cat in the same spot when he entered the small store.

he opened the package and gave the cat a pepperoni. he patted the cat’s head and was about to stand up, before the cat’s front paws went onto shinwon’s knee.

“do you, perhaps, want more?” shinwon got another pepperoni for the cat. shinwon heard his soft meows and cooed. 

“now i _have_ to take you home! you’re probably so hungry…” shinwon picked the kitten up and started making his way home.

“i have another cat, his name is snuggles. i hope you two get along. we can snuggle in bed together, snuggles doesn’t want to anymore. it’s like he doesn’t even like me anymore!” shinwon ranted to the cat, continually feeding him pepperonis. 

 

he went to fish his keys from his pocket the second he got to the front of his apartment, “y'know, if you know how to use the litter box, i might just keep you! such a sweet little…” shinwon finds that he never checked to see if the cat was a girl or a boy. shinwon _then_ remembers he _never_ checked snuggles either. he hummed. 

once he opened the door, the cat immediately jumped from his arms, running inside. “o—kay, make yourself at home!” he murmured, snorting. he pulled at his shoes, taking them off, before groaning and flopping down on the couch.

_such a long day_ , he was spent, to say the least. he didn't feel how tired he was until he hit the couch. shinwon slowly sunk into his seat, eyes growing heavy. he felt a presence jump up next to him, quiet purring suite. suddenly, changing out of his close were nothing more than a second thought as he felt the cat crawl up onto his lap. sleep enclosed him.

 

it was weeks into his decision that, in fact, he should keep the pretty black cat that followed him home that one night. it dawned on him though that he never named the poor thing. he decided to consult the cat upfront.

he swooped the furball up and held it under its arms. “what sound like a good name, hm? how about…” he thought long and hard, opting to hold the animal like an infant. then it hits him. “i'm gonna call you baby!” he cooes, rubbing under the cat's chin. it purrs like a reply, “hm, you like that one?”.

it seemed too natural to talk to the feline, as if it could understand his every word. sometimes he'd yell out something bizarrely, like “baby, i made you something to eat.” just to see if he understood him, and damned he'd be, he'd hear the _bum bump bump!_ of the cat's footsteps down the hall and into the kitchen. the cat was too smart for its own good.

shinwon was in the bathroom washing off. he heard a clunking noise come from outside the bathroom door. he froze, turning off the faucet. _drip, drip, drip._ he cursed the landlord for never fixing that sink for him.

another set of clattering noises and shinwon was well alert. snuggles was sleeping in shinwon's bed, he saw for himself. and, although baby was smart, he doubted the cat was _that_ smart to start rummaging through dishes from the kitchen. he scrunched his eyebrows together.

his first instinct was to slam open the door and run into the kitchen. 

there stood a tall boy, clad in _all_ shinwon's clothes, thankfully his usually oversized things. the boy froze, a bag of chips in hand. he chewed once. the boy and shinwon only stared for a while. he chewed twice. 

“meow?” a rumbly low voice broke out. 

shinwon slowly walked up to the boy. said tall man, backed up. “... are you… a ghost?” shinwon slowly asked, hand reaching out at him.

the boy panicked, “uh…! yeah! this is actually all just a elaborate dream!” the man state boldly. “look!” he shows, puffing up and suddenly, only his cat is there. 

shinwon blinks. he blinks again. “what the fuck…” he rubs his eyes, blaming his more _lack_ of sleep to give him such a hallucination. he opened them to find the boy staring down at him again. “see! no worries! now just…” he put his hand on his shoulder and turned shinwon toward the hall, “go— back to bed!” he pushed, making shinwon stumble.

shinwon turned once again and something clicked in his mind. something about this guy _actually_ resembled his cat. he squinted up at the supposed 'ghost’. 

he decided to test his theory, remembering all the times the cat simply wouldn't let him touch it on its chest. he sent out his hand and pressed his pointer finger into the man's chest, feeling a harsh slap almost in an instant. “ahah! i'm no fucking fool! you're a shapeshifter!” he accused, making the tall boy raise his eyebrows.

“wait, you're a _shapeshifter_ … i gave you a _home_ and _food!_ ” he groaned, rubbing his temples, “i _am_ a fool.”. the boy cleared his throat, “if it helps! uh… hi, i'm wooseok, but you can call me baby anytime!” he introduced himself, pulling off finger guns. 

“nope, no, never. _you!_ are leaving!” he began to yank wooseok by his own shirt. he whined in protest, “hey—! we could be friends! please, please!” the cat boy pleaded. shinwon scoffed, squinting. “no furries allowed.” he slammed the door shut, locking it for good measure. he could hear him gasp from the other side of the door, satisfaction building up inside of him.

_i can't believe i gave him my smooches_. he thought, tsking. he turned and saw snuggles standing behind him, staring at the door.

“no. he’s not coming back. he stole my food and you!”

days without the little piece of happiness shinwon had in a while left him feeling empty. he knew it wouldn't take much to walk out on the street and care for another cat, but something about baby- _wooseok_ , shinwon remembers, is something he didn't want to replace. the fact that all along this sweet cat he'd grew to adore was truly just some shapeshifter, searching for a freeloading trip left a rotten feeling in his stomach.

he found himself squeezing his throw pillow tight, _dumb cat_. he insulted in his mind. he huffed, deciding to get out for a bit. he slipped on some shoes and opened the door, just for a back full of somebody to fall onto his welcome mat.

“ow, what the-, oh hey! i'm totally not camping outside your door, i'm just a cat!” he said from the floor, looking up at him before puffing to the resemblance shinwon used to love to see. he laid on his back just as his human form did, paws across his chest. shinwon pouted at the sight. 

“go away, freeloader.” he shooed, toeing at the cat. wooseok, kneaded the air and closed his eyes instead of getting up to leave. shinwon resisted the urge to pick him up and coddle the furry creature.

“ooh, i hate you…” he cooed, and the now cat purred in response. shinwon, a now personified pouty emoji, carried the cat back inside.

“you can stay here for tonight, but you’re sleeping on the couch.” he earned a meow in response.

“okay… two nights? how about that?” another meow.

“five days! no more, no less! no more meowing right now. you sleep on the couch and you eat _none_ of my snacks. we’ll eat dinner together i guess, cause you gotta eat something.” shinwon paused and put the cat on the floor.

he looked down at the feline, who stared back at him with big eyes. “stop being so cute. i’m going to sleep. goodnight, baby.” shinwon said and smiled at the cat, realizing he called the shapeshifter baby instead of wooseok.


	3. 2.5

nights passed without wooseok around once again, shinwon was mixing vegetables into a stew he saw online and though to try. music from houses away played through his open window.

shinwon peered into the pot and sighed, wondering if the concoction was even going right.

he heard loud footsteps from outside and at first didn't think much of it, except when he heard a _crash_ and _thump_. he squinted, turning off the stove top for a moment.

he bent down to look out the window as a figure swung its leg through it. his head ducked in.

shinwon blinked in shock. "wooseok?" he questioned. wooseok's fleeting scared expression switched to a smirk as he saw just how close his face was to the other. 

"hey."

wooseok swung his other leg in and stood up, brushing off his- _shinwon's_ clothes. when he was turned around, trying to shut the window, shinwon smacked him over the head with a ladle. "what are you doing back here? didn't i tell you to not come back?" he asked once wooseok's head turnt.

he looked at him blankly, "and don't lie to me either, you're terrible at it." shinwon added, making wooseok turn fully and cross his arms.

"i was running from someone." this made shinwon arch a brow. "who?" he asked, still unbelieving. wooseok looked at him with an expression that told ' _are you kidding me?_ '. "as if i had time to ask for his name!" wooseok scoffed, "do you want his social security number next?" he mused sourly.

shinwon yanked him by the front of his shirt. "hey, you listen to me! you're lucky i didn't shove you right back out that window, street cat! i was just trying to help." his hand grasped tighter with every word. the other scrunched in his features, "well this _street cat_ has a lot of trouble living right!" he bit his words, yanking shinwon's hand off of him.

"oh? and the streets never taught you manners?" shinwon chortled, turning back to his stew. "no, not fucking once!" wooseok laughed back, tartly. _click_ went the knob of the stove top. "i can tell…!" _clack_ went the utensil against the pot.

a shuffle, and wooseok was propped up on a kitchen counter. "so… what's for dinner, pops?" shinwon glanced over in the corner of his eye with a _don't test me_ look. "i'm not entirely sure at this point, just everything but the kitchen sink." he joked to fill the silence, snorting to himself. wooseok leaned over to catch a look at what was made.

"you… aren't fond of cooking, are you?" wooseok smiled, watching his stressed out mannerisms. "you have no idea." shinwon replied, pushing back his hair. 

 

"i'm probably just going to call for takeout." wooseok's eyes gleamed at such a sentence. "oh? anything for me?" he preened, hands clasped beneathing his head, blinking prettily. shinwon rolled his eyes, "no, kitty. _you _need to leave,i have guests coming over." he poked at wooseok's chest, leaving him to pout.__

__"oh, come on! i won't be a bother! i'll just be your new pretty black cat, sit on some laps, all will be fine! and you can save me some leftovers! how's that sound?" wooseok convinced, devising his stealthy plan. shinwon stopped and stared at the other in thought, only to be interrupted by knocking._ _

__shinwon finally blinked, and when he did, a cat replaced wooseok’s perched up spot. “alright, no turning back, i guess.” he murmured begrudgingly, while he couldn’t help but to pet his head. wooseok purred._ _

__when he opened the door, wooseok had already hopped down and sat by his feet, greeting the tall figures._ _

__in stepped two men, one of the same height as shinwon, and one shorter than the two. something clicked in wooseok’s mind, making him run back into the kitchen. shinwon squinted at his antics but smiled as they entered._ _

__“sorry we took so long! we got held up in a... situation.” shinwon’s tall friend exclaimed, looked over at the shorter. “hey, it’s not my fault! little beggars fault!” the other complained, making shinwon raise his eyebrows._ _

__“what even... happened?” asked shinwon. “hui got scammed by some little beggar kids with powers.” the taller exclaimed, making said man grumble, “yanan didn’t even try to help me.” making yanan laugh out. “oh, i’m sorry! i thought spending 25 bucks on a hotdog was your first clear sign to go hm, this is suspicious!” shinwon shut the door, ignoring their bickering before stopping to think. “wait, what kind of powers?” he asked, making hui turn._ _

__“oh! uh... one made illusions... the other shape-shifted as he ran away!” hui barked, still mad at the hole they burnt through his wallet. shinwon tsked, should’ve known._ _

__“baby!” he yelled, instinctively. the cat peaked it’s head past the kitchen doorway. shinwon walked up, with thumping feet, and grabbed him by the scruff. “did he look like this?” he asked, turning around._ _

__they both gasped, “that’s him!” they exclaimed. he turned the cat to face him. “wooseok, what did you do?” he scolded like he would a real cat, putting him on the ground. said cat shifted back, now the tall boy._ _

__sitting criss-crossed on the floor, he looked up at shinwon guiltily. “why you little-!” hui tried to walk up, only to be held back by his partner. “now, tell me why you stole from the old man?” the question made hui fume, holding out a hand, ready to hit. shinwon didn’t flinch, watching wooseok look to the ground. “street cats need to eat too, y’know...” he muttered, glancing back up pitifully._ _

__“so you stole.” shinwon mulled, crossing his arms. wooseok nodded with a shrug. shinwon held out his hand, “give it to me.” he demanded calmly, making the younger pout. “but-“ “no, hand it over or i land you in the hands of the law.” shinwon said._ _

__wooseok sighed, rummaging through his pocket. he pulled out the bills, dropping them into his hand. shinwon smiled then, patting the boy’s head. “good kitty.” he cooed, walking back to the pair._ _

__said pair watched the interaction in dead silence. not once before today had these two seen of this shifter. despite this fact, he had shinwon, hard to break out of his shell, guy that took years getting comfortable giving the pair pure emotion out of, _that _shinwon wrapped around his finger. they were astonished. “you gonna take it?” shinwon asked, waving it in front of hui’s face. hui blinked. “i’ll take it if he doesn’t want it-“ wooseok murmured, now standing. at that, hui snatched his money back. “thank you!” he said, squinting at the boy.___ _


	4. 3

yuto absolutely despised being a fighter. he hated beating people up so much, but he knew he had to do it to have a stable life. this was yuto, scared of scary movies yuto. to say he didn’t enjoy the blood and bruises, the real thing, was an understatement.

he was lucky to have found hongseok. they relied on each other, they were like two peas in a pod. sure, sometimes they got in god awful fights, but hey, that’s what best friends are for.

yuto was caught up working in the back again because of his beat up face. he was working open to closing, as usual. open 8 am, close 9 pm.

all he ever did was pretty much moving boxes around. he liked to take naps whenever possible. he practically scheduled his nap times to not get caught, because _god_ , he never did anything. he couldn’t go into the store at all.

the regular alarm went off, _the last one._  yuto stopped the alarm and rubbed his eyes, getting up and walking to clock out. he sighed heavily, it was a friday night and he knew what he had to do, despite recent injuries that haven’t yet healed.

he almost wanted to cry. breathing hurt. walking hurt. but he had to tough it out. _for hongseok_. he was scared to let him down, he was scared to tell him that he just couldn’t do it anymore. the countless nights crying himself to sleep, the constant anxiety and fear with every step he takes, and the constant hurt he felt all through his body was just _too much._  but he had to tough it out.

he did a quick check and locked the doors behind him, glad to _finally_ get out of work. he just wanted to sleep. he walked towards hongseok’s car and carefully got in. he already knew it would hurt if he flopped in.

“how was work?”

“oh, uh.. the usual. boring, i guess. nothing really happened.”

“you guess?” hongseok started the car and drove off, the way to the tiny apartment. yuto just wanted to tell hongseok. but he couldn’t. not yet. not ever. he began to feel a lump form in his throat.

“uhm, yeah. i just… y’know, what always happens…” he yawned and winced slightly at his ribs aching.

“are you okay?” hongseok asked, looking over slightly.

“oh, yeah no i’m okay. i’m all good. no problems. same old me! i’m good. nothing is wrong, no problemo. i am a-ok.” yuto responded quickly, which turned awkward. hongseok let out a chuckle.

“whatever you say. we’re somewhere different tonight, are you all good for that?” in all honesty, no. but yuto couldn't disappoint him. yuto had paused for a bit too long, he'd realized, when he heard hongseok voice his concerns.

"it's okay if you'd rather not-" yuto had cut him off before he could get a full sentence out, "no, sorry, that'll be fine!" hongseok looked at him very briefly, his face scrunched up in a concerned and confused expression. "if you say so…" he looked back, eyes on the road.

yuto managed to swallow that feeling in his throat, instead opting to concentrate on how bad his ribs hurt. he needed to cry. needed a hug, a good rest. he needed to be _home_.

he didn't even process when hongseok parked at some store lot. "it's a bit of a walk but…" he looked over at yuto, who still wasn't looking away from the spot on the dashboard. "aye, yuto?" he waved his hand in front of his face. yuto shook his head and clenched his eyes closed. " 'm sorry, what?" he rubbed his hands down his face. hongseok hummed out a fond laugh, tilting his head to catch eye contact.

"you sure that you're okay? you look a little pale…" he went to touch him, just for yuto to lean away from his touch. "quit, i don't need a check up every time i look off to you, seok." he snided, looking at the hand like it offended him. "i wasn't!" hongseok raised his hands up in defense. "but you _were_!" yuto shot back.

hongseok frowned, opening his door, "i just worry about you, yuto. it's kind of my job by now." yuto rolled his eyes at the statement, getting out at the same time as he had. "i never asked for a healer best friend and manager. you did that on your own." he muttered, making hongseok scoff. "yeah, _o–kay_. likely story, mr. you're all i need."

yuto felt his face flush, reminded of a memory he wish he couldn't remember.

_he was drunk, lazed on the floor of hongseok's apartment, making good friends with the rug. "it's not a dog, stop petting it.” hongseok snickered, kicking him lightly from the couch. yuto felt the world continue to shake even after the kick. he grumbled, trying to sit up. "karma is a bitch. i bet you won't drink my alcohol when i'm not here, huh?" he hummed, rubbing his shoulder. yuto looked up at him with a childish pout, blinking slowly._

_hongseok couldn't help but laugh. "what, puppy dog?" he joked, patting his head. yuto blinked once more, not processing the joke. “you… i don't know what i'd do without you… you…" hongseok let him put his head on his knee, letting him go on._

_"... you're all i need…" he mumbled, looking down at his nails, picking at the dirt beneath them. hongseok scoffed, carding his hand through the younger's hair. "hm? me?" he didn't get a wordful response, but the pouty nod he had given him sure did seal the deal._

_hongseok just smiled, "remember that."_

_and he did._

yuto swore to never drink again, far too open for his own comfort.

"you're doing it again, stop. i _will_ check you." yuto perked up, walking away from the car as quick as he could. "that's what i thought."

it didn't take much time before hongseok noticed how awkwardly he strode by when he walked. he did what was his first instinct. he grabbed him by his hand. yuto didn't even freeze at the feeling of a hand in his, rather the zip of pain of which it came from.

hongseok immediately frowned, meeting the glare he was given. "yuto." he muttered blandly, looking him square in the eye. yuto didn't even try, yanking his hand away. "let's just get this fight over with-" "we're going home." yuto felt his chest squeeze tight. _home_. he needed to hear that.

"i-" "don't try to convince me otherwise, i know you. let's go." he grabbed his hand again, far more gently than before, turning him around. yuto muttered something along the lines of ' _you’re a pain_ ' to which he received no more than a fond smile in return.


	5. 4

nights were certainly less lonely, shinwon had realized. he had way less privacy, too. 

3am. shinwon had just gotten done on the work that had him cooped up in his room all day and night. when he walked into the living room, he didn’t expect to see wooseok, wide awake, surfing through tv channels. wooseok turned his head at the noise of a creaky floorboard. he smiled. “hey, pops?” he whispered endearingly, although it was just them in the quiet apartment, the need to stay hushed felt necessary. 

shinwon groaned in reply, turning to the kitchen. “did you eat anything today?” shinwon asked with a croak. wooseok hummed, “i harrassed hui to make me something.” he snorted, pulling his legs into his newly bought sweatshirt. shinwon scoffed, “oh, that poor guy…” rustling of food packaging. “oh! he made some for you too, i was just… afraid to knock.” shinwon turned around and kneaded his eyebrows together.

“afraid?” he opened the fridge. he grumbled, knowing better than to believe hui would make more than some kimchi. “honestly rather eat junk food…” he muttered to himself, shutting the fridge door.

“are you getting take out? i’m super hungry again.” wooseok sat up and looked hopeful towards shinwon, who was staring into the fridge.

“probably.” shinwon grumbled and opened the freezer, then shutting it and mumbling ‘what the fuck…’. "why does it take us only two days to go through a weeks worth of food?" he complained, looking over his shoulder. wooseok shrugged. 

"you know damn well i didn't eat a whole family dinner tin of lasagna with you yesterday, where did that go?" he went on, walking out of the kitchen with his phone in hand. wooseok shrugged again, making shinwon scoff. "... yuto gets really hungry when hongseok isn't home," wooseok confessed, "and you're always busy, so…" he laid back into the couch cushions, pouting. "but you don't get it! that's my money i spent for us." shinwon hissed pointing toward the both of them. wooseok frowned, looking at the tv instead. 

"i don't even… know these people! it seems rather rude to ju-" "do you wanna meet them?" wooseok interrupted, eyes wide. shinwon stammered at that, not into meeting new people. "i didn't mean-" "if i could invite yuto and hongseok over, you'd see! they're no street rats, i promise!" 

shinwon was uncomfortable with the idea, but wooseok's bright eyes and start of a plan made him want to think twice. "i mean come on! my birthday is coming up, what am i gonna do? sit alone on my twenty-first birthday?" wooseok pouted.

shinwon's ears rang while he stared at the carpet. his heart stopped momentarily as he processed the words that came out of the boy's mouth. he could feel his face tingle in a sense of fear and sadness. "wh… twenty-first?" he looked up at him, feeling tears well up in his eyes. wooseok smiled at first, not realizing, "uhuh! i can do more things legally!" wooseok's excitement died in the second a tear rolled down shinwon's face. "wait, why are you _crying?_ " he sat up straighter. shinwon wiped his eyes with his palms, hiccuping through cries. "b-but! aren't shape-... shapeshifters supposed to be immortal?" his voice wobbling. 

wooseok shook his head, scrunching his eyebrows together. "no, of course not! why is that a problem, anyways?" wooseok asked, tilting his head to see his face better. shinwon shook his head, "n-nothing… i- i'm just gonna be in my room, i'm sorry." wooseok tried to object but couldn't grab him as he went, hear his door shut.

shinwon sobbed, cursing himself for not knowing better. he hated this. he hated living to no end. he hated not being able to grow old with someone, hated to see the people he loved grow old without him. his throat closed up as he leaned against the door, rubbing his face furiously. 'fuck.' he thought to himself. he shouldn't have let himself grow attached, not to a cat, not to a boy. especially a mortal boy. his heart ached. he couldn't do this again, not anymore. 

he forgot to ever sleep.

 

shinwon sighed, sitting back in his chair and putting his hands on his face. he had been occupying himself with various things, accidentally staying up all night and skipping out on plans. 

all he could think about was that night, the night where he laid up all night not knowing what the _fuck_ to do with wooseok. he was scared, how could he have grown so attached knowing wooseok would die?

he was just about to sit back up when he heard a knock on his bedroom door. he hummed lightly and the door pushed open, revealing wooseok. shinwon’s breath shortened and he got a ping of anxiety.

“hey, pops? is everything alright?” wooseok whispered, staying in the doorway, unlike him usually barging in and sitting on the bed, bugging the shit out of shinwon.

“oh, yeah. i’m good. is something wrong?” shinwon sat up, scratching the back of his neck.

“oh, no, it’s just... i’m worried about you. you haven’t been around at all lately and it’s worrying me... are you sure everything’s okay?” 

“i— yes. i’m okay, everything’s okay. this is just... a busy time of the year.” shinwon hated lying, but he just couldn’t come to tell wooseok what was _actually_ wrong.

“okay, well... can you take a break and maybe we can go out to eat? i want to pay you back for taking care of me! i saved up my own money and everything—!“ 

“uh, i can’t right now, i’m sorry. i’m in the middle of something and i really can’t leave it alone, maybe another time?” shinwon looked back at his computer, hoping wooseok would go away like the other times he did.

“but you’ve said that so many times before, i just wanna walk around and do stuff with you—”

“wooseok,”

“there’s gonna be a fair in town! we can go and win prizes—”

“wooseok—”

“we can get ice cream, and cotton candy, and go on rides—”

“ _wooseok_!” shinwon yelled, making the boy jump. “i can’t right now, i’m sorry.” he seethed out every word.

“why not? what are you even doing that’s so secretive, huh? i thought you said we can’t hide things from each other anymore!”

“seok—”

“no. i trusted you and i told you everything, i go to you when something’s wrong and you don’t do the same back. why? because you're so– so _secretive!_ ”

“it’s not that, i’m sorry—”

“no you’re not! if you were you would _actually_ wanna do someth—“

“ _i do!_ wooseok, you have no clue how much it hurts me to ignore you like this—”

“hurts _you?_ ” wooseok laughs dryly, chest puffing out with each breath. “shinwon, i’ve been so worried about your health. i have tried so hard to get to do something with you! just like friends do! but recently, all you want to do is hide from me!” wooseok’s eyes began to shine over with tears. 

shinwon let out an exasperated sigh, “don’t you think you’re being a little selfish here?” he tries to wipe his face of imaginary food crumbs, trying to look busy. wooseok doesn’t even try to fight back on his question, just whispering a harsh “ _fuck you_...” making the elder whip his head back at him. 

“wooseok, i think you forget i can kick you out in a matter of seconds.” he whispered calmly, almost wishing it was that easy. wooseok snorted, “i’d like to see you try.” he muttered, making shinwon turn in his chair, finally standing face to face with the boy. “listen, just because you think you’re a king of the street doesn’t mean you can treat _me_ like shit.” he seethed, pushing him back. 

wooseok didn’t even look pissed anymore, just disappointed. “i never had someone that blindly took care of me.” he mumbled, not daring to break eye contact with shinwon. “i had to take care of myself, teach myself how to live. i’m sorry that it _fucks with you that bad_ that you could drop every bit of friendship we have and forget me.” wooseok’s voice trembled, but his face stayed the same.

“ _i care about you, shinwon._ ” 

the elder was speechless, suddenly feeling the younger tug at both of his shirt sleeves. “i keep— i keep needing to remind you to eat… i’m so afraid that one day when i go to remind you and you don’t reply… you’ll be… _dead_.” 

the room was dead silent other than wooseok’s broken sobs.

“ _i don’t want to see you die._ ”


	6. 5

shinwon watched him break down in silence. he felt his heart clench at the tears that rolled down his face. _he made him worry_. 

“wooseok…” shinwon whispered, standing up. wooseok began to rub at his eyes with his palms. “hey, i…” he didn’t know how to say it. he didn’t know if he _wanted_ to say it. shinwon grabbed at the boys’ wrist so he’d look at him. “i’m okay, woo…?” wooseok opened his mouth to protest, but couldn’t get a word out. “i’m here aren’t i? i’ve lived this long without a wooseok in my life…why worry?” shinwon pressed, sliding his grip into one of wooseok’s palms, squeezing his hand tight. wooseok squeezed back, eyebrows scrunching together. “i just… i.” wooseok tried, almost fighting with himself just to get a sentence out. sighing, he stepped back and let go of shinwon’s hand. “i don’t… know!” wooseok gritted in irritation, seemingly fighting himself.

“...you really don’t need to worry, wooseok.” shinwon said, glancing down at the boy’s hands as he bunched up the hem of his shirt into his fist. “i do! i do need to _fucking_ worry! there’s nothing right with your lack of eating, movement, sleeping—!” shinwon could definitely see how bad the situation looked, except he’s been immortal for more than just a few decades by now. if only he could come free and tell him that.

he _could_... if he wanted to scare wooseok away or even try to immortalize himself too, like the dumbass he was. his mind and heart tore in different ways at that thought too, wanting either to happen. shinwon looked up from his internal fight just as wooseok started to speak again.

“you’re the loudest thinker in the entire world! why won’t you just tell me what you think about, _please!_ ” wooseok complained, kicking his seat. shinwon rolled his eyes, looking up at him with a sharp stare. 

“why are you so persistent?” shinwon asked, avoiding the plead. wooseok frowned, “if you weren’t listening, i know _nothing_ about you! i mean, who in their right mind would let in a shapeshifter and somehow let him break in time and time again _without calling the fucking police!_ ” wooseok began to scold, as if he wasn’t the exact person he was talking about. shinwon snorted, shrugging it off. “no, i’m serious! was it the cat?” shinwon nodded without a single second thought.

“there was also an incredible outcome from it…” shinwon mumbled, making wooseok raise an eyebrow. “what do you mean exactly?”

“i _mean_... you’re one of the most impactful people i’ve become something to… i’ve never really had anybody care for me as much as you do in a _really _long time.” shinwon admitted with a sigh. “i mean, hui and yanan do a lot, but you just _care_ so much more.” by the end of his rant, he looked up, watching wooseok process it all. __

__“i’m impactful to you? i’ve never even had someone who let me stay the night! you let me stay for weeks! not only that, but you gave me food, treated me nicely and never even pitied me for who i was!” wooseok cried, bunching his shirt further in his fist, knuckles going white._ _

__“you told me what i always needed to hear! i don’t feel like a basket case here, i feel so… important! _i’ve never felt this important before you, shinwon._ ” wooseok said, while beginning to cry. _ _

__shinwon pulled wooseok into a hug and got him to sit on his bed, shinwon hugging him until wooseok fell asleep. shinwon covered up the boy in his bed, and retreated to the couch._ _

__he stared at the ceiling, his mind blank but racing with thoughts at the same time. he ended up crying himself to sleep, all the events that had piled up _really_ set in and shinwon couldn’t hold it in anymore._ _

__he made a promise to himself that night. he would never, _ever,_ let wooseok feel like that again until the day the world ended._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the late update, and also short chapter!! we promise to keep updating as much as possible, we’ve just been a little busy lately.


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